Image: Octopi Media.

The race for the 2023 Monster Energy Supercross Championship has tightened up after Team Honda HRC’s Chase Sexton charged to the Anaheim 2 Triple Crown overall.

It was a drama-free first race for Sexton as he stormed to a flag-to-flag 5.190s win over Ken Roczen (Progressive Insurance Ecstar Suzuki), with red plate-holder Eli Tomac a further five seconds back in P3.

Tomac’s Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing teammate Dylan Ferrandis fought to fourth position, while Jason Anderson (Monster Energy Kawasaki) was fifth after making late contact with Cooper Webb (Red Bull KTM) that saw the former two-time champion go down.

That handed sixth to Adam Cianciarulo (Monster Energy Kawasaki) – who ran inside the top three for the race’s opening portion – and Webb remounted for seventh, directly ahead of Aaron Plessinger (Red Bull KTM), Christian Craig (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) and Joey Savatgy (Rick Ware Racing Kawasaki).

In 11th was Justin Barcia (TLD Red Bull GasGas), who fell in the early laps while circulating in sixth, costing him in the first of three finals for tonight.

Anderson hit the front out of the gates in race two and was essentially unchallenged from there, pulling a lead of 1.589s and placing himself in contention for the overall tonight. While Anderson was in control, Tomac took some time to make his way by Roczen for second position, and that’s where the trio would finish.

Fourth was Webb – unable to make a final lap pass on Roczen – and first race winner Sexton took fifth following an error of his own early on. Ferrandis was consistent for P6, from Plessinger despite a fall while inside the top three, Barcia, Savatgy and Craig. One point split Tomac, Roczen, Anderson and Sexton going into the final outing.

A deserved ride from Sexton saw him earn the final race win of the evening and the overall as a result. It was Anderson who led the field over the first four laps until Sexton inched by, going on to by 1.234s over Webb in the end to clinch a decisive first main event victory of the season.

Race three saw top-qualifier Sexton top Webb and Anderson, while the major talking point was Tomac crashing in spectacular fashion when challenging for the podium, only to remount for 13th position. Fourth was Roczen following a troubled start, followed by Ferrandis, Barcia, Plessinger, Cianciarulo, Savatgy and Craig.

The round podium was Sexton from Anderson and Roczen in his first podium since returning to Suzuki. In terms of the series, Tomac still leads after salvaging sixth tonight, four points up on both Sexton and Webb leading into Houston next Saturday, 4 February.

Detailed results